1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, generally, to windshield wiper assemblies and, more specifically, to a beam blade windshield wiper assembly having improved wind lift characteristics.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional windshield wiper assemblies known in the related art generally consist of two types commonly referred to as “beam blade windshield wiper assemblies” and “tournament windshield wiper assemblies.” Both types of windshield wiper assemblies include a wiping element that contacts the windshield or surface to be wiped. Further, both types of windshield wiper assemblies are carried across the windshield by a wiper arm and rely on the downward force from the wiper arm to maintain contact between the wiping element and the windshield. However, tournament-style windshield wiper assemblies depend on a series of levers to distribute the downward force from the wiper arm across the wiping element.
On the other hand, beam blade windshield wiper assemblies include an elongated, homogeneous strip forming a spring backbone or beam that is resiliently flexible. The beam is curved along a single plane that flexes to correspond to the curvature of a windshield. A wiper arm delivers a downward force to the beam that is distributed across the beam, thereby pressing the wiper assembly into contact with the windshield. An example of a beam blade type windshield wiper assembly is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,550,096 issued Apr. 22, 2003 to Stewart et al. and assigned to Trico Products Corp.
Beam blade windshield wiper assemblies include a smaller profile and less moving parts than tournament windshield wiper assemblies. Thus, as a matter of aesthetics, beam blade windshield wiper assemblies are generally preferred over tournament windshield wiper assemblies. However, due to the general characteristics of beam blade windshield wiper assemblies, they are more likely to be subjected to a phenomenon referred to as “wind lift.” Generally speaking, wind lift occurs when airflow underneath the windshield wiper assembly creates a lift force greater than the opposing downward forces of the wiper arm and airflow over the assembly. During wind lift, the windshield wiper assembly lifts from the windshield of the vehicle, which can decrease the effectiveness of the windshield wiper assembly to clean the windshield.
To counter wind lift, airfoils of various designs have been employed to combat this problem. Airfoils create a downward force that presses the windshield wiper assembly into contact with the windshield, even at elevated driving speeds where wind lift can be extreme. While the beam blade windshield wiper assemblies known in the art provide significant advances in the related technology, there continues to be a need in the art for improvements in beam blade windshield wiper assemblies, which result in improved performance at variable vehicle speeds, and reduce wind lift with simplicity of parts and reduction in manufacturing costs.
As a result, there is a need in the art for a beam blade windshield wiper assembly that that includes an airfoil for improved wiping performance at variable vehicular speeds. Further, there is a need in the art for a beam blade windshield wiper assembly having an airfoil that simpler to manufacture and assemble to thereby reduce manufacturing and assembly costs.